Hospital Should See Improvements in Capacity Crunch Soon
Prince George, B.C. – The problem of too many patients and not enough space at the University Hospital of Northern B.C, should improve within the next few weeks.
Northern Health has been working on three projects aimed at addressing the capacity issue.
UHNBC’s Chief Operating Officer Michael McMillan says the first project will see 26 beds open up at the Gateway Lodge . That plan required renovations to the third floor at Gateway to provide space for 15 residential care beds and 11 convalescent/respite care beds.
“The people who move to the third floor of Gateway are a particular type of client and some may come from the hospital, but others may come from within the existing complex care system, a number may come from Gateway and move up there, and then their beds will be back filled by people who are in the hospital. We are on track to open the second week of March.”
The eleven convalescent/respite beds will be available for those patients who need a week or two more to get up to speed before they can go home. McMillan says it isn’t clear just how many patients from UHNB will be moved to those beds, “It’s harder to point to those people because when we get to that point, the second week of March, it will be who needs convalescent care at that point.”
McMillan figures that while the additional capacity at Gateway will see some Gateway clients moved to the newly renovated 3rd floor, overall, the changes should free up as many as 20 beds at UHNBC “That’s a significant impact on the hospital”.
The second project is aimed at preventing people from being admitted to hospital in the first place through improved levels of home support. “The concept is, we can put in place whole home support resources that can help those who show up at Emergency and can’t quite go home on their own and the alternative is to admit them ( to hospital).” The service will initially be available 8 hrs a day, everyday, and will be ramped up to 7am to 11 pm daily. That initiative is slated to start the first week of March.
The third initiative is one 250News has reported on before, it is the “Car 67” program aimed at patients who are severely addicted or mentally ill. “All the processes around staffing of those teams is well underway” says McMillan “We expect to see that ramping up the first week of March.” That program partners a psychiatric nurse with an RCMP officer to attend to calls where the real issue is one of mental health or addictions.
McMillan says while the number of patients in the hospital fluctuates on a daily basis, swinging from 235 one day to 255 the next, ( they have hit 260 at times) he believes the capacity crunch at UHNBC will be significantly reduced by the end of March.
Comments
The whole top (5th) floor is empty..use it
Nothing will change till we get rid of this useless government .It happens all over BC .
Posted on Monday, February 23, 2015 @ 6:36 AM by Fedup2015
Nothing will change till we get rid of this useless government .It happens all over BC .
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This is the government’s fault? How do you figure that? How many people are in the hospital because they failed to look after themselves? The answer is “lots”. Obesity, smoking and alcohol related issues are running rampant in the province and are costing the health care system dearly.
We’d have a lot more money and resources to look after those people who truly need it if only people would start accepting responsibility for themselves rather then expecting the government to address their every whim.
well said axman
Too bad too many people have zero accountability
yes axman,
Very well said. Also, this isn’t unique to BC. All other provinces have similar struggles
“Nothing will change till we get rid of this useless government .It happens all over BC .”
Gee, if it were that simple! We tried that and patients still died in ambulances waiting to get into Emergency and the hallways were (occasionally) full of patients waiting for a room.
Do you know how much it costs the taxpayers every time a government is replaced? Ever heard of golden hand shakes, early retirements, lawsuits…?
A whole floor is empty?? Are you serious??
This will always occur in a socialist style HealthCare system! We are all equal except the rich, who just go to the States! It would be effective to have some form of private health care to keep those dollars in Canada and perhaps a little more affordable… I know the bleeding hearts want everyone to be equal, but it just ain’t so, and never will be!
Waiting a year for most consultations is equal I guess. I’d rather pay 500 bucks for the 10 minutes it usually takes and get it tomorrow!
The floor was empty in the early 90’s. I guess that’s the fault of the people that don’t look after themselves. Some it seems cant accept the fact that we are all different and have different prioritises. Not every one is perfect.
Cheers
WHY don’t they open that floor…..somthing is not right here…..too weird…needs to be checked into I would say!!
Posted on Monday, February 23, 2015 @ 9:54 AM by sunnyday 2
WHY don’t they open that floor…..somthing is not right here…..too weird…needs to be checked into I would say!!
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Do you have any idea how much a hospital bed costs? The answer again is, “lots”.
Opening more beds and throwing more money into the dysfunctional health care bureaucracy is not the solution.
I’v seen, first-hand, the horrid conditions of over-crowding in this hospital. From patients being housed in the Minor Treatment holding area for over a week, to being sent down to rehab when they should have had a bed on a medical floor.
The nursing staff try their hardest to cope but the constant stress that they are under with having patients who, clearly, need to have a different level of care, takes an immense toll on them.
I am very glad to see things starting to change regarding patient care. It sounds like they are heading in the right direction.
Opening more beds and throwing more money into the dysfunctional health care bureaucracy is not the solution.
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So the floor remains closed, if you have it figured out, what is the solution?
Not my problem what a hospital bed costs…..I need to know I have a hospital I can count on for myself and my family when we are sick….that is my problem.
Posted on Monday, February 23, 2015 @ 12:34 PM by Jim13136
Opening more beds and throwing more money into the dysfunctional health care bureaucracy is not the solution.
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So the floor remains closed, if you have it figured out, what is the solution?
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I already gave you my solution. Look up.
Isn’t the 5th floor used for UNBC doctors training?
Posted on Monday, February 23, 2015 @ 1:12 PM by sunnyday 2
Not my problem what a hospital bed costs…..I need to know I have a hospital I can count on for myself and my family when we are sick….that is my problem.
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Not your problem? Seriously? It’s everybody’s problem. The health care system is riddled with abuse and needs a complete overhaul if you or anyone else expects to be able to use it when you need it.
due to financial cutbacks surgeons only get a few hrs a week of operating time. There are times when the surgery room is empty due to this. Also the new hospital expansion in pg was %80 offices ..waste of space and money. We don’t need more managers at $100,000 a year when we have waiting lists for everything.
How many new staff will be put into place at Gateway to open the 3rd floor? Or will the existing staff be expected to look after this addition in beds?
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